Ch 81 - Four Buds Broken
Jester and Lucia raced forward, weaving between the monster's thrashing tentacles as Fang and Faria carried them closer to the exposed core.
Another massive tentacle suddenly came crashing toward them from the side, but Elora reacted immediately. Several thick vines burst forward and wrapped around the incoming limb, pulling against it with everything she had. The vines strained under the force, barely dragging the tentacle far enough off course to miss them.
But the violent movement threw Elora from her seat behind Jester.
"Elora!"
"Your Highness, don't worry about me! I can hold on!" the girl shouted from behind as her vines quickly moved to catch her.
Jester clenched his teeth and forced himself to look forward. Fang surged ahead with Faria beside him, carrying them closer and closer to the exposed core. Then another mass of massive vine-like tentacle shot toward them, leaving no room to dodge.
Jester kicked off Fang's back at the last possible second, while Lucia did the same from Faria, sending both of them soaring into the air just as the vines swept past beneath them.
The force still caught them enough to throw them several meters off course. Worse, another enormous tentacle was already sweeping toward them, completely blocking their path to the core. At this angle, there was no way they would reach it in time.
"Lucia, change of plans!"
Lucia glanced toward him and immediately understood. She twisted in midair and dove straight down, her sword flashing as she brought it toward the approaching tentacle.
Jester followed a heartbeat later, gripping his axe tightly as he fell alongside her.
[Skill: Warlord's Frenzy]
[Unleash a rapid chain of cleaver strikes against enemies within reach, alternating between swift slashes and crushing chops. Each successful hit increases your attack speed for the remaining strikes, allowing the assault to grow faster with every blow. The final strike sweeps across a wider area and deals increased physical damage.]
The axe blurred in his hands, each strike landing faster than the last, biting deep into the layered petals of the nearest bud. Lucia's blade wove between his openings, adding precision where his strength lacked it, and together the two of them tore through the bud's defenses in seconds.
The final blow landed with a crack like a felled tree. The petals split apart, and the monster let out a roar so violent it shook the tentacle beneath their feet.
Then everything moved at once.
The entire tentacle convulsed, whipping through the air with a speed that made the earlier throw feel gentle by comparison. Jester felt his footing vanish entirely, his body launched into open air alongside Lucia.
Somewhere off to the side, he caught a glimpse of Clover cartwheeling through the sky, and further still, Siki and Windious both being flung from the monster's back like discarded toys.
The ground rushed up to meet him.
He braced for the impact, jaw clenched, and then, at the very last instant, something massive and soft rose up beneath him, absorbing the fall entirely. He hit it hard enough to bounce once, breath knocked from his lungs, but the pain that should have followed simply didn't come.
He rolled his head to the side and found himself staring at an enormous cushioned mass that hadn't been there a moment ago, molded into the exact shape needed to catch him. Lucia had landed beside him on the same surface, equally stunned.
Then the mass shivered, folded in on itself, and reshaped into familiar dark fabric. His cape.
It was Michel. The Mimic had remained close to him the entire time, disguised as his cloak and ready to support him whenever necessary. With her level still far too low for a battle like this, however, directly joining the fight would have been more dangerous than useful.
"You alright?" he said to Lucia.
"Yes, Your Highness." She winced, pressing a hand to her side. "Nothing serious."
Around them, the others were regrouping, all of them breathing hard, all of them bleeding from somewhere. Siki limped over first, one arm hanging awkwardly at his side.
"We've broken four of its buds," he said, glancing at the Behemoth reassembling its wounds in the distance. " Every time we do, its mouth opens for exactly five seconds. That's our window to hit the core. We haven't managed to land a hit inside that window yet."
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"Let's do it one more time," Jester said. "Everyone else keeps breaking the buds and keeps it distracted. Lucia and I will go for the core the second its mouth opens. I'll hold back until the last possible moment, then rush in from the other side while all of you keep its attention on yourselves. We've got the mobility for it."
Windious wiped the blood from his split lip and managed a tired grin. "Guess the prince finally decided to earn his title."
"Watch your mouth, peasant," Jester shot back.
Naevys descended beside them without a sound. "Serissa's ammunition is running low. However we do this, it needs to work soon."
"It'll work," Siki said, forcing himself upright. "Positions. Now."
They couldn't keep this up much longer. Everyone was already running low on resources, and Jester was no exception. He could only maintain his current condition for a little while longer. His stamina was the biggest problem, draining at an alarming rate from the constant high-speed maneuvers and the sheer scale of the battle.
They immediately moved again. They scattered back toward the Behemoth, and the sky above it erupted into chaos once more, one explosion following another as Naevys unleashed volley after volley of conjured weapons, Serissa's rockets streaking through the smoke, while Siki and Windious cut a brutal path along the creature's flank.
Fang raced forward with Elora holding tightly behind Jester. Instead of charging directly toward the Behemoth, they circled around its outer edge, keeping their distance as Jester searched for an opening.
Lucia kept pace on Faria beside them, both riders waiting for the exact moment to make their move.
Attack after attack hammered the Behemoth from every direction. Fang and Faria darted forward through the chaos, repeatedly diving aside as massive vine-like tentacles crashed down around them.
The two wolves quickly regained their momentum and charged up along the creature's enormous body, claws digging into its rough surface as they climbed. They moved at incredible speed, leaping from one foothold to another while avoiding every tentacle that tried to knock them away.
They managed to reach a much better position, putting Jester and Lucia within striking distance while the others kept the monster's attention divided. Another bud split open under their combined assault. The Behemoth's massive jaw cracked wide, revealing a glowing core buried deep within its throat.
"Now!" Siki roared from somewhere below.
Jester kicked off Fang's back mid-leap, axe raised, while Lucia was already ahead of him, crossing the last stretch of distance in one desperate burst.
The Behemoth's head snapped sideways with impossible speed.
Jester twisted in the air, barely avoiding the full force of the strike, but Lucia wasn't as fortunate. The monster's jaw clipped her shoulder and sent her spinning through the air.
"Lucia!"
Before Jester could reach her, another vine-like tentacle slammed into him from the side.
"Damn it!"
The impact sent him flying, but Jester forced himself to use the momentum instead of fighting it. He twisted his body in midair and threw himself toward Lucia. He caught her in the middle of her fall, wrapping both arms around her just before the ground rushed up to meet them.
They hurtled through the air with brutal speed, their bodies spinning uncontrollably before crashing toward the ground. At the last second, a huge cushion surged up beneath them, catching their bodies and absorbing most of the impact.
Jester forced his eyes open. Lucia was still in his arms.
"Your Highness... are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that," he muttered, dragging them both upright.
For a moment, Jester kept a firm grip on Lucia, making sure she could still stand. Seeing her thrown through the air like that had reminded him of something he could never afford to forget.
If an NPC died, they were truly dead. Unlike players, they couldn't simply respawn and return as if nothing had happened. That was why bringing Elora, Lucia, or any of the other maids into battle was always a risk Jester was painfully aware of.
[Warning: Stamina critically low.]
[Continuing to exert yourself under current conditions may result in loss of consciousness.]
He shoved the notification aside, ignoring the way his hands had started to shake. Around him, the others limped back into a loose formation once more.
Serissa dropped down hard beside Clover.
"You had better appreciate this, because I am almost completely out of ammunition! Do you have any idea how much I've already fired for you people?! I can manage one more volley, perhaps, but after that, you are all on your own!"
"Same here," Clover said, leaning heavily on her spear. "My stamina's nearly gone."
Windious forcing a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Guess this really is it, then. Last shot."
Jester lowered his gaze to his trembling hands, the warning still blinking faintly in the corner of his vision. If he pushed himself through another full assault like the last one, there was a real chance he wouldn't be walking away from it.
But if they stopped now, the city would fall. He tightened his grip on the axe.
"One more time," he said. "All of you, keep breaking those buds. Buy us another opening. I'll make sure I get it right this time."
Siki met his eyes for a long moment, then nodded once. "Understood."
That was all they needed. Everyone immediately broke away and moved back into position, preparing to throw whatever strength they had left into one final assault.
Naevys and Serissa launched themselves skyward together. Windious and Siki charged forward on the ground, cutting a path through the last of the smaller monsters still clinging to the Behemoth's base. Clover spun into another howling vortex, driving herself upward to strike from above.
Jester stayed along the outer edge of the battlefield instead, Fang moving beneath him at a steady pace. He wasn't rushing in blind this time. He was watching, waiting, tracking the rhythm of the Behemoth's movements and the pattern of its rage.
Somewhere above him, another bud shattered under Naevys's barrage.
Jester leaned forward. Fang understood immediately.
The Dire Wolf exploded into motion across the shattered ground, racing straight toward the towering base of the Elder Bloom Behemoth. Jester raised his axe, gathering every last reserve of strength for one desperate charge.
“This has to work. We won't get another chance!”